Ice crusher and conveyor



Feb. 25, 1947. F. w. BRADY ICE CRUSHER AND CONVEYOR Filed June 5 5 m MM INVENTOR- Frank W g y Patented Feb. 25,1947

UNITEDSTAT ICE CRUSHEB AND- convsron the latter delivering the ice to a conveyor system.

which moves the ice to a desired point in the packing shed. Because of the necessity for driving the ice crusher and the several conveyors by a separate prime movers it has been usual heretofore to install the ice crusher on a separate foundation and at an elevation above the shed floor. This necessitates the lifting by hand of the ice to be crushed into the crusher. The finely divided ice was removed from the bottom of the crusher by means of a horizontal screw,.the latter delivering the material to a vertical screw. To drive the two screws, a complicated drive arrange ment was required. I have found that the crusher can be placed at the floor level and a single conveyor utilized, if the axis of the crusher drum and of the screw conveyor are placed parallel to one another, the ice crusher ice receiving inlet being placed at the floor level so that the ice blocks can be slid along the floor and so fed to the crusher inlet.

It is in general the object of the present invention to provide an improved ice crusher conveyor construction such as is utilized in packing house machinery.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a simplified ice crusher and snow ice delivery device. I

The invention includes other objects and features of advantage, some of which, together with the foregoing, will appear hereinafter wherein the present preferred form of ice crusher of this invention is disclosed. Referring to the drawing accompanying and forming a part hereof, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, showing the device of the present invention installed in a packing house. Figure 2 is a section Referring to the drawing, the device includes a suitable housing structure made up of steel plates welded together, the housing-being gener-'-' ally indicated by numeral S.' An ice crusher drum generally indicated by numeral 1 is mounted upon a shaft, 8, the 'latter' being carriedin bearings, 9, mounted upon opposite sides of housing 6.; Shaft 8 extends through the bearings,' being.con-I- hected on one side to apulley' l I, about which is trained a belt l2, the latter "also passing about a pulley I 4 onshaft l6 of electric motortll; the latter being carried upon portion 20 of the housing6. 1

About'the periphery of'the ice crusher drum :1 are mounted a plurality of breaker points or teeth I8. The drum includes a plurality of spokes l9 extending from a central hub 25 mounted on shaft 8.

As appears in Figure 2, housing 6 is fashioned with an inlet 2| and a deflector plate 22, the

latter serving to direct ice admitted by inlet 2| to the drum. The inlet includes a horizontal plate 24, the latter forming a portion of the housing structure and being connected thereto by side, plates 26, so that'when plate 24 is positioned on the floor 21 of a packing shed, the entire structure is adequately supported at the inlet end thereof.

Ice crushed bythe drum cooperating with the deflector plate 22 is directed downwardly by plates 28 and 29 provided on each side of the housing into an annular portion of 3| cooperating with a screw conveyor flight 32 mounted upon a shaft 33. Beyond the housing 6, the screw conveyor flight is confined by a conduit 34, the latter being supported intermediate its end by a suitable foot 36 engaged with the floor 21, and supporting the screw conveyor casing and providing additional support for the housing.

Screw conveyor shaft 33 is supported by bearings 31 and 38, bearing 31 being provided on housing 6 while bearing 38 is provided upon plate 39 at the discharge end of conduit 34. A

sprocket 4| is positioned on an end of shaft 8 and a chain is passed about this sprocket and a sprocket 43 on the screw conveyor shaft 33. This enables the screw conveyor to be driven directly from the ice breaker drum shaft so only one prime mover is required. I

At the upper end of conduit 34, a' discharge chute '46 is provided so that ice delivered from the screw conveyor flight can be discharged into another conveyor or into a suitable receptacle.

In providing the device, it is only necessary to cut a suitable hole in the packing house floor to permit the depending portion of the housing 6, and the screw conveyor casing 34 to be inse ted, the entire structure beingthen supported by the packing house floor. If desired, an additional support can be provided as at 5|, an angle iron 52 being positioned at the lowest point on the housing 6. However, this is not necessary.

It will be observed that housing 6 and screw conveyor casing 34 are formed as a unit. Shafts 33 of the screw conveyor flight and shaft 8 of the ice breaker drum are in alignment; a simple chain and sprocket drive suflices between them. The ice inlet is horizontal while shafts '8 and 33 are positioned at an angle of 45 to the floor 2'1."

This angle is preferred since, for a given power extent if it is necessary to adjust the angle in a f given installation to suit local conditions.

I claim:

In combination with a floor over which iice blocks are supported prior to crushing, a receptacle, said receptacle being provided with a plate extending substantially parallel to the plane of said floor and comprising a support'for said receptacle, a pair of vertically extending spaced side plates secured to said. plate and said receptacle and forming guides for said ice blocks, an ice crusher rotor mounted in said receptacle, said receptacle being provided with an inlet to'said crusher, said inlet being disposed to one side of said receptacle, an

inclined deflecter plate mounted in said receptacle and having one of its ends positioned adjacent said crusher, said 1 3 crusher rotor comprising a drum mounted on a shaft extending at an angle to said floor, a screw conveyor including a screw rotatable in a conduit to move ice from the drum to a point elevated above said floor, said screw and said shaft being parallel, said screw conveyor being partially supported by said floor, a prime mover including a rotatable drive shaft, said prime mover being mounted on said receptacle adjacent said inlet, said drive shaft, said screw, and crusherdrum shaft being parallel, means connecting said drive shaft with one end of said crusher drum shaft, and means for driving said screw from the other end of said crusher drum shaft.

I FRANK W. BRADY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,257,619 Lincoln Feb. 26, 1918 2,078,379 Grayson' Apr. 27, 1937 1,017,682 McMullen Feb. 20, 1912 2,097,219 MacVean Oct. 26,1937 2,114,557 Davis Apr. 19, 1938 2,163,426 Hogg June 20, 1939 1,961,215 Hanna June 5, 1934 2,123,878 Brady' July 19, 1938 ,190,168 Holly July 4,1916 

